Production Method for Radiators

ABSTRACT

An improved method of producing radiators, for heating plants, comprising a vertical tube ( 1 ) affording holes ( 11 ) in which bushings ( 2 ) house, the bushings ( 2 ) being provided with O-rings ( 4 ) inserted in recesses ( 21, 23   a ) afforded therein. The method comprises an expanding element provided with a internal stem ( 41 ) and an external expandable tubular element ( 42 ) exhibiting longitudinal flutes ( 421 ) which enable the external tubular element ( 42 ) to expand when the stem ( 41 ) is moved axially internally of the tubular element ( 42 ), a terminal slim tract ( 24 ) of the bushing ( 2 ) being thus enlarged and belling out to strike against walls of the holes ( 11 ). The bushing ( 2 ) is then unremovably inserted into a horizontal tube ( 3 ), a washer (R) inserted on the bushing ( 2 ) being crushed between an internal wall of the horizontal tube ( 3 ) and the bushing ( 2 ), eliminating possibility of sliding of the horizontal tube ( 3 ) away from the bushing ( 2 ), the bushing ( 2 ) and the horizontal tube ( 3 ) forming a ladder-type structure for a towel-warming type radiator.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to an improved production system for radiators, for heating plants, which briefly consists in assembly of special parts which are easily obtainable with known means and processes. The system in particular produces common-type radiators for heating of environments; they are typically used as towel-warmers, and have a similar conformation to a rung-type ladder.

BACKGROUND ART

Common-type radiators for heating rooms are obtained using processes and various means of known type and lead to considerable limitations in terms of realisation and construction. Traditional constructional processes, especially for those kinds of radiators which are typically used for warming towels, can be summed up briefly by saying that they include the use of two vertical tubular uprights which constitute the bearing elements of the radiator, rather like the uprights of a rung-ladder; the vertical tubular uprights are pierced at regular intervals along the length thereof, and smaller tubular elements are introduced in the holes, and are perpendicular to the vertical uprights; these are like the rungs in a ladder. Suitable materials are put in the junction points between the uprights and the perpendicular elements, whereafter the whole assembly is placed in a kiln and brought up to a suitable temperature so that the materials in the junctions melt and by capillary action move into the space between the uprights and the perpendicular elements, so that a permanent joint is formed. The formed assembly is then left to cool before being prepared for enameling. This system requires special kilns which are never turned off for obvious structural and energy reasons, and are only usable with one sort of metal, being steel, as the union between the elements constituting the radiator occurs by a welding process known as brazing, which exploits capillary action, a technique prevalently used for iron and steel materials. The process also limits the possible dimensions of the radiators to standard sizes, and prevents creation of any special sizes which might be necessary for specific furnishing requirements; the latter can only be produced at high cost as they are treated as “one-off” productions, and for this reason are much more expensive than “standard” products, which are in any case rather expensive.

The main aim of the present invention is to obviate the drawbacks and limitations as above-described; this is achieved by the process described herein below.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

In order better to understand the characteristics and advantages the production system of the present invention offers, it will now be described with the aid of a non-limiting preferred embodiment, in the detailed description that follows which makes reference to the non-limiting figures of the drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1, 1 a and 1 b are respectively: FIG. 1 is a split view of a vertical upright of the radiator comprising two sectioned views of two bushings before and after being fixed to the upright; while FIGS. 1 a and 1 b are enlarged illustrations of the bushings of FIG. 1;

Figures from 2 to 6 illustrate the various production stages of the production system, with application of a bushing in the hole of a vertical upright after interpositioning of a seal and a consequent introduction of an expanding device through the bushing itself to fix the bushing to the vertical upright;

FIG. 7 illustrates the final stage of the operation in which the bushings are fixed to the vertical uprights of the radiator and jointed to tubular elements constituting the horizontal elements of the radiator.

With reference to the figures of the drawings, common elements will be denoted using the same numbers in all the figures.

With particular reference to FIGS. 1, 1 a and 1 b, the system is fundamentally constituted by a tubular element 1 of known type in which holes 11 have been made at regular intervals, in which holes bushings 2 are inserted, into which bushings horizontal tubular elements 3 will be inserted.

With particular reference to FIGS. 1, 1 a and 1 b, the bushing 2, which is hollow and cylindrical and which externally exhibits two recesses 21 for housing O-rings 5. A third recess 22, smaller with respect to the two recesses 21 and below them, is of a suitable size for housing a washer R for reasons that will be explained herein below. Following along the circular external part of the bushing 2, the bushing 2 broadens into a cylindrical ring 23. Below the cylindrical ring 23 a cavity 23 a is afforded for housing an O-ring 5; and below the cavity 23 a the bush continues with a slim tract 24 which is of a length sufficient to perform a task explained herein below.

With reference in particular to FIG. 1 a, after application of the O-rings 5 in the recesses 21 and the cavity 23 a, and the washer R in the recess 22, the slim tract 24 of the bush 2 is placed in the hole 11 of the tubular element 1 and, with a process illustrated in Figures from 2 to 6, joints, as shown in FIG. 1 b, to the tubular element 1. When the bushing 2 is joined to the tubular elements 1, which are pushed into the holes 11, the slim tracts 24 being deformed so that a solid joint is achieved, tubular elements 3 are joined to the bushings 2 in order to construct a “ladder”-shaped radiator, in which the “rungs” are defined by the horizontal tubular elements 3 and the vertical uprights by the tubular elements 1.

FIGS. 2 to 6 illustrate with greater precision the system permitting union between the bushings 2 and the tubular elements 1. FIGS. 2 to 6 illustrate the steps of the stages of joining the bushings and elements, starting with FIG. 2, in which the first stage of coupling is shown, wherein the bushing 2, complete with the O-rings 5 and the washer 5, is inserted by a terminal part thereof, i.e. the slim tract 24, into the hole 11 of the tubular element 1.

In FIG. 3, the second stage is illustrated, wherein a mushroom-headed stem 41 is shown, mobile in an axial direction internally of a second tubular element 42 having a complementary internal shape to the stem 41 and an equal external shape thereto. The second tubular element 42 affords longitudinal flutes 421, denoted by a broken line in the figures, which enable the second tubular element 42 to expand when the stem 41 slides therein axially towards the body of the machine setting the stem 41 and the element 42 in reciprocal movement, as will be explained herein below. The machine that moves the stem 41 into the cylindrical cavity of the bushing 2 and the stem 41 penetrates beyond the slim tract 24 and, as can be seen in FIG. 4, pushes the second tubular element 42, with the inclined part of the external side thereof, into a zone in proximity of the point of contact between the slim tract 24 of the bushing 2 and the hole 11 of the element 1. At the same time the stem 41 is slightly distanced from the mushroom head of the second tubular element 42. The inclined tract of the tubular element 42 goes to rest on the slim tract 24 of the bushing 2 and, as can be seen in FIG. 5, the machine causes the stem 41 to slide inside the second tubular element 42 up until there is an impact between the stem 41 and the second tubular element 42, which impact causes the second tubular element 42 to expand, thanks to the flutes 431, and to deform the slim tract 24 of the bushing 2 in expansion; this causes the expanded slim tract 24 to engage mechanically in the hole 11 of the tubular element 1. In FIG. 6, the head of the stem 41 is moved axially in an opposite direction to the direction in which it was forced into the slim tract 24, and leaves the “belled” end of the slim tract 24 of the bushing 2 in order to distance the stem 41 and the second tubular element 42 from the bushing 2.

The above operation is repeated for all the bushings 2 corresponding to the holes 11 of the tubular element 1. Consequently, as can be seen in FIG. 7, when two vertical elements 1 have been assembled, complete with bushings provided with the O-rings 5 and the washers R, the parts projecting from the bushings 2 will be coupled with the ends of the horizontal tubular elements 3 by being introduced into the free ends of the bushings 2 projecting from the tubular element 1; this will complete the construction of the radiator of the towel-warming type.

The coupling between the horizontal tubular element 3 and the projecting part of the tubular element 1 of the bushing 2 will be unremovable and fixed by the washer R which on introduction of the bushing 2 into the horizontal tubular element 3 will deform and thus prevent uncoupling of the horizontal tubular element 3 from the bushing because the washer R will tend to enlarge and thus internally block the tubular element 3 containing the end of the bushing 2. As is known, O-rings 5 operate as seals between the bushing 2, the horizontal tubular elements 3 and also the bushing 2 and the tubular element 1. Equivalent sealing elements could be placed between the tubular element 1 and the bushing 2, and equivalent elements to the O-rings could be positioned between the bushing 2 and the horizontal tubular element 3. The coupling between the bushing 2 and the tubular element 1 can be solely a mechanical seal, or the crushing of the slim tract 24 of the bushing 2 against the walls of the hole 11 of the vertical tubular element 1 could form a perfect mechanical seal even without the interpositioning of an O-ring in the recess 23 a, and therefore the mere contact and crushing of the end 24 of the bushing 2 against the internal walls of the hole 11 of the vertical tubular element 1 would be sufficient to make a perfect seal and thus be impermeable to any fluid.

The above system thus offers considerable economic savings by avoiding the use of kilns for brazing the various elements used in the traditional process (vertical and horizontal-perpendicular elements). Materials of many different types can be used, not only ferrous materials, but also aluminium or equivalent materials in terms of resistance and mechanical characteristics; there will also be the possibility of very easily widely varying the sizes of the radiators, with a further considerable economy of production in terms of a very flexible and agile production system in terms of unit dimensions and materials, and a full range of colours as permitted by the various elements making up the radiator units.

The special conformations and dimensions referred to can be widely varied without forsaking the ambit of protection sought. 

1. An improved method of producing radiators, for heating plants, comprising a vertical tube element (1) affording holes (11) in which bushings (2) house, the bushings (2) being provided with O-rings (5) inserted in recesses (21, 23 a) afforded therein; the method comprising an expanding element provided with a internal stem (41) and an external expandable tubular element (42) exhibiting longitudinal flutes (421) which enable the external tubular element (42) to expand when the stem (41) is moved axially internally of the tubular element (42), a terminal slim tract (24) of the bushings (2) being thus enlarged and belling out to strike against walls of the holes (11); the bushing (2) then being unremovably inserted in a horizontal tube (3), a washer (R) inserted on the bushing (2) being crushed between an internal wall of the horizontal tube (3) and the bushing (2), eliminating possibility of sliding of the horizontal tube (3) away from the bushing (2), the bushing (2) and the horizontal tube (3) forming a ladder-type structure for a towel-warming type radiator.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein a length of the horizontal tube (3) can widely vary, thus varying a size of the radiator without varying functional characteristics thereof.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein a size of the horizontal tube (3), the bushing (2) and vertical tubular elements (1) can be widely varied without the functional characteristics and aesthetic characteristics thereof being changed.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein instead of only ferrous materials being used, other materials can also be used such as aluminium or alloys thereof, or non-metallic materials such as mechanically-equivalent resins.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein a size of the horizontal tube (3), the bushing (2) and vertical tubular elements (1) can be widely varied without the functional characteristics and aesthetic characteristics thereof being changed.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein instead of only ferrous materials being used, other materials can also be used such as aluminium or alloys thereof, or non-metallic materials such as mechanically-equivalent resins.
 7. The method of claim 3, wherein instead of only ferrous materials being used, other materials can also be used such as aluminium or alloys thereof, or non-metallic materials such as mechanically-equivalent resins. 